Tag: books

Hopeless By Elsie Silver

Hopeless By Elsie Silver

by Hannah ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Beau Eaton is the town prince, a handsome military hero with a tortured past.
I’m the outcast bartender, a shy girl from the wrong side of the tracks.

He’s thirty-five and all man, I’m twenty-two and all . . . virgin. He’s also my fiancé. Correction: my fake fiancé.

We start out as a bet. He doesn’t believe that anyone holds my last name against me. So he offers me his to prove a point.

It’s a win-win. He gets a break from his concerned family’s prying, and I get a chance to shed my family’s reputation while I save up to ditch this small town.

He says all I have to do is wear his ring, follow his lead, and pretend I can’t keep my hands off of him in public.

But it’s what happens between us in private that blurs all those carefully drawn lines . . .

It’s what transpires behind closed doors that doesn’t feel like pretending at all . . .

This engagement was supposed to be for show. This agreement? It has an end date.

He once told me he’d never fall in love.

And yet here I am, head over heels for my fake fiancé.

My Thoughts:

I had heard a lot about this Chestnut Spring Series and wanted to give it a go, this is the book I thought I would like the most from reading the plot. Yes this is the final book in the series but I genuinely do not think it matters. I have now purchased the rest in the series though as I really enjoyed this one. This one is about Beau and Bailey, they have both been brought up completely different but the attraction they both have for each other is instant. I love Elsie Silvers way of writing, there are highs and lows and I felt as though I connected with both main characters. This is a book that will pull you in and make you laugh and cry. I thought the hype on this series was overrated but it is most certainly not. Such a good read. I cannot wait to continue the series.

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The One Dollar Horse By Lauren St John

The One Dollar Horse By Lauren St John

by Hannah ♥ 1 Comment

Fifteen year old Casey Blue lives in East London’s grimmest tower block and volunteers at a local riding school, but her dream is to win the world’s greatest Three Day Event: the Badminton Horse Trials.


When she rescues a starving, half-wild horse, she’s convinced that the impossible can be made possible. But she has reckoned without the consequences of her father’s criminal record, or the distraction of a boy with melty, dark eyes, with whom she refuses to fall in love. Casey learns the hard way that no matter how high you jump, or how fast you gallop, you can never outrun the past.

My Thoughts:

This is book one of three in this series. I fancied something a little different to my usual reads and I love animals especially horses so thought I would pick this up and give it a go. It is about a young girl called Casey who comes from a poor background but will do anything to make ends meet. Her dream is ride horses at the Horse Trials one day and volunteering at the local riding school will help her to get better with her riding. Casey and her dad find themselves out of depth though when they rescue a horse that is in such bad condition but Casey knows she will do everything in her upmost to look after this horse. She is a very independent woman who works hard. Even though her background is not the best she is determined to prove to everyone she can do it and get to those horse trials. I think I would of enjoyed it more being around 12 years old rather than my age now. It was a gentle, easy read and I am sure there are young girls out there that are mad about horses that will love this. I do not think I will be reading the rest of the series though.

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Now You See Her By Heidi Perks

Now You See Her By Heidi Perks

by Hannah ♥ 2 Comments

Charlotte is looking after her best friend’s daughter the day she disappears. She thought the little girl was playing with her own children. She swears she only took her eyes off them for a second.

Now, Charlotte must do the unthinkable: tell her best friend Harriet that her only child is missing. The child she was meant to be watching.

Devastated, Harriet can no longer bear to see Charlotte. No one could expect her to trust her friend again.
Only now she needs to. Because two weeks later Harriet and Charlotte are both being questioned separately by the police. And secrets are about to surface.

Someone is hiding the truth.
So what really happened to Alice?

My Thoughts:

The story is about how a nice day out can change everything in an instant. When Charlotte takes out her best friends daughter out for the day she would never imagine how the day would unfold. Charlotte is devastated that the little girl goes missing on her watch but when she comes to tell her best friend what happened Harriet does not even want to look at Charlotte. But the police have done some digging and when they are questioned is there more to the story than meets the eye. I liked the idea of the story but for me it did not hold my attention. I found it slow and tough going. This is an author who I would not read again.

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Murder on the Christmas Express By Alexandra Benedict

Murder on the Christmas Express By Alexandra Benedict

by Hannah ♥ 6 Comments


CAN YOU SOLVE THE CASE? 

Eighteen passengers. Seven stops. One killer.

In the early hours of Christmas Eve, the sleeper train to the Highlands is derailed, along with the festive plans of its travellers. With the train stuck in snow in the middle of nowhere, a killer stalks its carriages, picking off passengers one by one. Those who sleep on the sleeper train may never wake again.

Can former Met detective Roz Parker find the killer before they kill again?

My Thoughts:

I love this type of whodunit read, I must say I absolutely love the front cover of this book the design is really cool. Eighteen passengers on a train and one person gets murdered but whodunit? We get to know all the characters first off and there are a few red herrings and twists that were not expected. Roz Parker is the one to work out who the killer is and if they will kill again and I really liked working alongside her to work out who the killer was. Some of the characters were likeable and some not so much so was a great mixture. It was a book I didn’t want to put down, but wanted to savour it too. I loved it and the ending was so good.

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The Christmas Appeal By Janice Hallett

The Christmas Appeal By Janice Hallett

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One dead Santa. A town full of suspects. Will you discover the truth?

Christmas in Lower Lockwood, and the Fairway Players are busy rehearsing their festive pantomime, Jack and the Beanstalk. But there’s not much good will among the amateur dramatics enthusiasts. Sarah-Jane is fending off threats to her new position as Chair, the beanstalk might be full of asbestos, and someone is trying to ruin the panto before the curtain even goes up.

Plus, there’s the small matter of the dead Santa. Who had the victim on their naughty list? Read the round robins, examine the emails and pore over the police transcripts to discover the truth. Will the show go on?

My Thoughts:

The book is set around Christmas time where in a village a festive panto is being rehearsed for the big day. But so many things that could go wrong do go wrong. And to top it all off what has happened to Santa? He has ben found dead and the police have to piece together whodunit. Janice is a new author to me and I really enjoyed this read, I cannot wait to read more of her books. I love the mix of characters and I was not expecting it to be as funny as it was, it really surprised me how good this book was.

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A Little Christmas Magic By Suzanne Rogerson

A Little Christmas Magic By Suzanne Rogerson

by Hannah ♥ 1 Comment

From a much-loved family pet that goes missing to a neighbour in need.
Chance meetings and the kindness of strangers.
Overcoming trauma to help others and being prepared to make sacrifices.
A father rushing to get home to his kids in time for Christmas.

My Thoughts:

This is a lovely festive short story collection, which made me feel warm inside. It is a great pick up and put down read that would make the perfect Christmas gift for someone or for yourself. The stories are all of different lengths but I enjoyed them all nonetheless and you get eight stories which was just fantastic amount. I love Suzanne’s previous books so was excited to read this one which was a bit different but very enjoyable. My Favourite was definitely A Christmas Toast. I look forward to see what Suzanne’s next book will be about. A perfect Christmas read.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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The Official Agatha Christie Puzzle Book By Agatha Christie

The Official Agatha Christie Puzzle Book By Agatha Christie

by Hannah ♥ 1 Comment

Brush off your moustache, collect your knitting needles and put your little grey cells to good use in the case of the missing librarian. With perplexing puzzles left scattered throughout the library to solve, can you complete them and follow the trail of the crime?

Begin by unscrambling these anagrams of Agatha Christie classics you’ll come across within…

My Thoughts:

I have never read any of Agatha Christies books but I will be after receiving this book, it is brilliant packed full of puzzles, crosswords and word searches. There is something for everyone and it is a nice sized book to get stuck into. I found there is different levels to the puzzles, some are easy and they get more harder but I like a challenge. A great book to complete with a friend or just for yourself to help with your brain exercises. Would make a great gift and the cover is stunning.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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Poppy’s Christmas Cracker By Leigh Russell

Poppy’s Christmas Cracker By Leigh Russell

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A French patisserie opens in the village of Ashton Mead in time for Christmas. Local residents are pleased but Hannah, owner of the Sunshine Tea Shoppe, feels threatened by the competition.

When the owner of the patisserie is killed, Hannah is suspected of murdering her business rival. Her friend, Emily, is determined to clear Hannah’s name. She seems to be facing an impossible task… until her little dog Poppy makes a surprising discovery.

My Thoughts:

This is book four in the A Poppy Mystery Tale series and every bit as good as the previous books. This time we catch up with Poppy the dog and Emily who finds that Emily’s friend is in a spot of bother and needs help to find out who the real killer is. It was a great short story that has a great bunch of characters. Poppy is just the cutest of dogs and I love the way she helps her owner Emily. But can they solve this mystery this time? I loved reading this story.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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In the Blink of an Eye By Jo Callaghan

In the Blink of an Eye By Jo Callaghan

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In the UK, someone is reported missing every 90 seconds.
Just gone. Vanished. In the blink of an eye. 

DCS Kat Frank knows all about loss. A widowed single mother, Kat is a cop who trusts her instincts. Picked to lead a pilot programme that has her paired with AIDE (Artificially Intelligent Detective Entity) Lock, Kat’s instincts come up against Lock’s logic. But when the two missing person’s cold cases they are reviewing suddenly become active, Lock is the only one who can help Kat when the case gets personal. 

AI versus human experience. 
Logic versus instinct.
With lives on the line can the pair work together before someone else becomes another statistic? 

My Thoughts:

I love a police procedural read, I always find that world very fascinating and eye opening. I found this read so much more than that though and really enjoyed reading about DCS Kat Frank and her world. DCS Kat is reviewing a case but whilst leading a new pilot programme things are not as easy as they seem. The case becomes a lot more than Kat could of realised. I was not sure what the AI part would be like but it captivated me seeing how AI is against a human being. It was a fascinating and insightful story that I could not put down. I cannot wait to read more of Jo’s books.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blink-Eye-original-crime-novel/dp/1398511196/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1J5TR7L1ISSZQ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.dRJwHRnSgodPx1d7f8_fcNjvI1Q4C4LuXHqO-Wy91pJPN8dhyiPbbY0bxA5DztGszBsUk2zOD5-D7MOReXFj7_SYRbhkZLScU6xVpb1t1PNqUKaN7iKGeUeVcP9Q19AeuuzSKwNIzv_xmeLW6uLzbd3tEcH5EBqCeEKQ6zkYqA_khqXp-8gvukLwAONKNG7WHV3WzcdZLl-cQxyxswdjCHKv6uDZGFMqtIh4H5mk_Lo.wxC-qH94rHemkpiYsQoWrTWQ07UB8nZ5HaHBqw-HxQQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=in+the+blink+of+an+eye+jo+callaghan&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1729246869&sprefix=in+the+blink+%2Caps%2C102&sr=8-1



Parklife by Lucy Nichol

Parklife by Lucy Nichol

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It’s 1996. Emma’s been rejected by the man she loves and sacked from the job she hates but desperately needs. Feeling like she’s hit a new low, she finds herself serving ice-cream and phoney smiles at the local park.

Best mate Dave’s loved up, and her dad’s finally emerging from years of unemployment and a deep depression. Everyone’s life is on the up while Emma’s plummeting towards rock bottom.

Every day she gives a free ‘99 to the lonely old man who sits on the park bench and reminds herself that life could be much worse.

But soon, even sprinkles and monkey’s blood can’t hide the truth. She’s in deep trouble and losing sight of the edge. Who will help her up when she falls?

My Thoughts:

This is the follow up to The Twenty Seven Club but can also be read as a standalone. It is the 90’s and Emma is not having the best of times, she has lost her man, her job and feels like giving up until she finds a job selling ice cream. Emma life is not how she expected to end up, she wants more for herself but can she shake of that feeling that something bad is going to happen? It was a good story to follow on from The Twenty seven club, full of great music and sensitive topics, Lucy the author has written this book well. And the ice cream part made me hungry.

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